Page 57 of An Arcane Education
She gives me a shy hello then returns her attention to the paper in front of her. She bears a strong resemblance to her mother with her dark hair and bone structure, but the softness that Professor Showen has is nowhere to be seen in Ava. She’s extremely thin, and there are dark circles beneath her eyes displaying an exhaustion that no one her age should have.
“Do you need any help, Professor Showen?” I ask as she moves about the kitchen, pulling out teacups from the cabinet and checking on something in the oven. Multipletimes when she walks past Ava, she strokes her hair gently or touches her shoulder in passing.
“Oh, please call me Jenny,” she says. “And no thank you, it should be done shortly.”
A few minutes later, she pulls shortbread cookies from the oven just before the kettle whistles. After we’ve made our tea, we move to the living room.
Ava follows us in but stands at the threshold between the kitchen and living room. Softly, she says, “I’m going to take a nap, Mom.”
“Okay, sweetheart,” Jenny answers gently. “Do you need anything?”
Ava shakes her head before disappearing down the short hallway into her bedroom.
In a hushed tone, Jenny addresses the unspoken subject once Ava’s door closes. “She seems to be doing relatively well lately, but the doctors don’t think she’ll make it past twelve unless something miraculous happens.” There’s a solemn acceptance in her voice that makes my heart break for her.
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” I don’t ask her what’s wrong with Ava; I figure she’ll explain if she wants to.
We have tea and cookies and make small talk for a while, with Jenny asking about my progress with using magic. I tell her about my tutoring sessions with Alaric and how I’m incorporating her lessons and the books she had suggested into my practice.
Finally, she broaches the subject that brought us together in the first place.
“So, a big part of the reason I asked you here was to talk about your father and just get some closure. I don’thave much to say, but it felt like this would be a good opportunity for both of us.”
My heart rate kicks up as I hang on her every word.
“Cameron was a wonderful man, and that only made the whole situation more difficult. A few months before he passed away, he had been distancing himself from everyone here until he disappeared entirely. No one knew why, and it left most of us confused and hurt. We were like a family here, and it was painful for someone so important to us to cut contact intentionally. He never gave us an explanation.”
I nod. Her story aligns with what my mother told me, and I tell her as much. “My mother had told me that he was trying to start over and distance himself from his past when they met.”
“Did she know why?”
I shake my head. “No. She told me that he was a very private person, and they didn’t know each other for long before she got pregnant and he died. She never met his family or friends either. Hell, I don’t even know if his parents are still alive.”
“I see.” Jenny is quiet for a moment as she sips her tea, seemingly lost in thought. “I thought I had grieved him, but when you told me he was your father, it brought back a lot of emotions and loose ends that I’ll never be able to tie up with him. Knowing that you grew up without him, that you never got the chance to know him…” She trails off, shaking her head slightly.
“It’s okay,” I say. “I’m actually grateful that I found out he went here. It helps me feel more connected to him, even if everyone has acted weird about it so far.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, after I talked to you, I had asked Dr. Lowry about him. He told me some stories, but after that he’s been a bit hostile toward me, almost like he’s angry at me for bringing it up.”
“Hmm, interesting. Well, Dr. Lowrywasyour father’s best friend,” she says, as if that’s justification for how he’s treating me.
Despite what Dr. Lowry had told me before about them being friends, the statement still baffles me. Has Dr. Lowry just become bitter and angry as he’s aged? Because I can’t imagine anyone being best friends with him, especially someone like my dad, who everyone has described as fun-loving and kind.
“Then why would he be so mean to me?” I ask.
“When Cameron left and cut everyone off, it left many of us terribly hurt and confused. Those feelings don’t die easily. Because of that,” she continues, “I would encourage you not to ask others about him. While it isn’t fair for Dr. Lowry to target you because of your father’s choices, I believe it’s his way of coping with the grief of never knowing why his best friend abandoned him, and I imagine others may feel the same way.”
My heart sinks. I had hoped that this meeting would be the start to me being able to gather more information, but if I’ll be targeted by everyone who knew my father, it might be in my best interest to keep the information quiet, even though I’m desperate for information. “Okay,” I say. “I probably won’t ask around any more if that’s the case.”
My words seem to make her relax ever so slightly, and despite the disappointment of everything regarding myfather, it feels nice to know she cares enough to worry for me.
We talk for another hour as we drink our tea, and Jenny shares memories of my father from their time together in school. She smiles as she tells me about a time when the two of them worked with five other students to play a prank during the Samhain ball that involved most of the students becoming convinced the ballroom was haunted.
By the time she’s finished telling me stories, my cheeks are sore from smiling so much. It’s bittersweet to hear about him and the kind of person he was while knowing I’ll never get to experience what it’s like to spend time with him.
When I’m finally getting ready to leave and pulling on my coat, Jenny gives me a soft smile. “I’m so glad you came today,” she says. “I see a lot of your dad in you. Please feel free to come by any time.”
